Longbow Direct

Derek and I made a break for the Northern Cairngorms on Friday after a drive out Deeside proved to do nothing but inspire us to stay dry in the car!  Through the gloomy clouds and rain we arrived at a sunny Cairngorm for a jaunt to some dry rock.

Lots of snow even with the warmer temperatures!

I was quite surprised to find that the snowfall in the last week had managed to hold on in some areas providing a little more of a covering on the tops than when I visited last.  Nevertheless many crags are free form snow and dry.

Looking up towards the crag.  Hells Lum in the right background with the

Shelterstone out of sight and looming in the shade on the left.

Stag Rocks was our target mainly for the amount of sunshine it gets all day long.  In the sun we were toasty warm but when the clouds came in from time to time and the wind picked up it became quite chilly.

Stag Rocks Right hand Section 'Longbow Crag'.  Longbow Direct (VS*) starts at the pink fault on the left and continues up and slightly left to the big roof near the horizon where it moves right and up through easier terrain.

1st slab pitch.

Belay before the 5a crux wall.

After the first slab pitch (two in the guidebook) we met the 5a pitch with some reserved anticipation as a few light shower came and went.  Fortunately they amounted to very little and were the last we had.  I pushed through the imposing wall somewhat easier after the initial struggle to find the hidden holds!

Happy to be on the traverse shelf after the crux.

Derek following up the 4c pitch.

The following pitch is a brilliant 4c escapade through jugs, laybacks, corners and arêtes.  The climb seemed to have it all!  Derek followed on up and prompted a wee debate on whether the 5a or 4c pitch was harder!  Go figure...

Leading the final difficulties.

The next couple of pitches were Derek's to lead; leaving me the final scrambling to the top.  Our descent for the bags became somewhat interesting as our ropes refused to be pulled down (despite thorough testing!) thus causing us to change tactics.

One happy chappy!

Looking back.

Longbow Direct only gets one star in the guidebook; is it worth more?  My opinion would be yes; at least 2 stars.  The climb offers an array of climbing on different holds and situations in less than 200 metres.  A brilliant option for those not wishing to undertake the 9, 10, 11 pitch giants on the other side of Loch Avon.

Oh boy were we glad that missed us!

A quick jaunt back to the car aided by the snow and we were the last to leave the car park.